B.C. driver, 26, charged in fatal northern Ontario crash last year

A 26-year-old driver from Surrey, B.C., has been charged with three counts of criminal negligence causing death and bodily harm in a crash that killed two youths in northern Ontario last year.

Emergency crews were called to a three-vehicle collision on Highway 17 in Zealand Township, east of Dryden, around 10:50 a.m. April 21, 2023, Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release Friday.

Two passenger vehicles and one commercial vehicle were involved in the crash.

"Two occupants from the same motor vehicle were pronounced deceased at local hospital," OPP said.

A publication ban imposed by the court prevents CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca from identifying the victims.

"As a result of the investigation and with the assistance from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and British Columbia (BC) Sheriff Service, the driver of one of the motor vehicles … has been arrested and charged under the criminal code," OPP said.

A clerk at the Kenora courthouse confirmed to CTV News on the phone the accused is male.

He is charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm and two counts of causing death by criminal negligence.

"The accused was held for bail and later released by the courts," OPP said.

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He is scheduled to appear in court in Dryden at 10 a.m. Oct. 7.

"Traffic safety remains a top priority of the OPP and is a key component of the OPP's public safety mandate," the police service said.

"Investigations resulting in the loss of life and serious injuries can be complex to investigate. As the vast majority of fatal collisions are preventable, thorough and accurate investigations help ensure that motorists who cause these collisions are held accountable for their driving behaviours. The victims and their families deserve no less." 

The maximum penalty for causing death by criminal negligence is life in prison and the maximum penalty for criminal negligence causing bodily harm is 10 years incarceration.